Made from the famous Gamay Noir grape variety and produced in an area that covers a good part of the Saône plain up to the Lyon mountains, Beaujolais Nouveau is a true artisan wine which has a red color and fruit aromas. Its main qualities lie in the exuberance of its youth, its frankness and its gourmandise, and these are obtained by picking the grapes at a precise moment of their maturity. Only the winemaker can choose this key moment.
1951, the birth of Beaujolais Nouveau
The Beaujolais Nouveau festival is not new. It has taken place every year for 73 years, but its origins date back to the 19th century.e century, a time when the first barrels were opened at the end of fermentation during their crossing of the Saône
War and wine were closely linked
However, it was in 1951 that this celebration was officially established. That year, on March 11, 1951, France abolished the “principle of staggered release of wines from properties” which established a schedule for the release of wines into the trade in order to better plan the resupply of the armies. War and wine were therefore closely linked…
A decree published on September 8, 1951 in the Official Journal stipulates that wines with designation of origin can only be sold from December 15. But the revolt of the wine unions, and in particular in Beaujolais, made the administration give in, which relaxed the rules to authorize the early marketing of early wines (bottled before spring) and new wines (bottled before the next vintage). A note dated November 13, 1951 thus defines “under what conditions certain wines can be marketed now without waiting for the release on December 15”. From this note was born the appellation “Beaujolais Nouveau”.
Why the third Thursday in November?
At the beginning, the release date of Beaujolais Nouveau varied. From 1967 to 1985, it was set for November 15, but this posed problems at the administrative level. Indeed, as the Revue du vin de France points out, it was complicated for winegrowers to declare their bottles on time when the 15th of the month fell on a Saturday or Sunday. This is why, in 1985, the Beaujolais Nouveaux evening was officially set for the third Thursday of the month of November.
In Burgundian and Rhone lands, this day marks the start of many festive events. The “la” is given during the Sarmentelles festival in Beaujeu: a procession of wheelbarrows filled with burning branches announces the drilling of the first barrels at midnight sharp.
Beaujolais Nouveau, a global madness
Beaujolais nouveau also represents a commercial event: according to the Revue du vin de France, this early wine represents a third of the total annual production of the Beaujolaisor around 55 million bottles. In 2021, more than nine million bottles were sold in France, and almost as many exported abroad.
France, Japan, the United States and even Germany, from now on, Beaujolais Nouveaux and Beaujolais Villages Nouveaux – the inter-profession prefers to speak no longer of Beaujolais Nouveau but of Beaujolais Nouveaux, with different aromatic palettes – are tasted in more than 150 countries. If it is criticized for its banana taste, this Thursday, November 21, in the four corners of the world, bistros and restaurants will therefore uncork bottles of this famous new wine, synonymous with conviviality, sharing and cheerfulness, with boots straw and sausages in abundance…
In New Aquitaine too, particularly in Gironde and Bordeaux, there will surely be a Beaujolais 2024 evening not too far from home to toast (reasonably) with friends to the first wine of the year… Difficult, therefore, to escape to the madness of Beaujolais Nouveau!
